R
Born 1917 (age 56) · Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
Appears in 23 titles

Robert Youngson (November 27, 1917 – April 8, 1974) was a film producer, director, and screenwriter, specializing in reviving antique silent films. Robert George Youngson, born in Brooklyn, New York, graduated from Harvard University with a master's degree in business administration. He entered the film business in 1941, writing newsreel scripts. In 1948 Warner Bros. hired him to produce a series of short subjects about sports. Most of these were straight roundups of current sporting events, but in some of them Youngson indulged his fascination with antique newsreels of the 1920s, and included vintage sports footage in the new productions. This led to Youngson writing and producing a long series of historical short subjects for Warners, two of which won him Academy Awards. Most of these films took an affectionate look back at the fads and lifestyles of the 1920s. Youngson's narration was nostalgic in tone, unlike the facetious commentaries that usually accompanied silent-film revivals like Gaslight Follies (1945) and Warners' compilations of Mack Sennett comedies. Youngson also produced a feature-length documentary for Warners, Fifty Years Before Your Eyes (1950). Warners discontinued live-action short subjects in 1956 and released Youngson, forcing him to work as an independent producer. He assembled a full-length feature of silent-comedy highlights, The Golden Age of Comedy (1958). This was a triumphant success, earning rave reviews from national columnists and receiving network exposure on TV talk shows. He followed this with When Comedy Was King (1960) and six more vintage-comedy anthologies, the last being released in 1970.

Filmography

The Golden Age of Comedy
7.1
The Golden Age of Comedy
1957
Director
When Comedy Was King
6.5
When Comedy Was King
1960
Director
Laurel and Hardy's Laughing 20's
Gadgets Galore
6.5
Gadgets Galore
1955
Director
This Mechanical Age
6.8
This Mechanical Age
1954
Director
The Big Parade of Comedy
7.2
The Big Parade of Comedy
1964
Director
World of Kids
5.7
World of Kids
1951
Director
Blaze Busters
5.8
Blaze Busters
1950
Director
4 Clowns
7.2
4 Clowns
1970
Director
Spills and Chills
7.0
Spills and Chills
1949
Director
Days of Thrills and Laughter
6.0
Days of Thrills and Laughter
1961
Director
30 Years of Fun
5.3
30 Years of Fun
1963
Director
The Further Perils of Laurel and Hardy
When the Talkies Were Young
7.0
When the Talkies Were Young
1955
Director
I Never Forget a Face
6.0
I Never Forget a Face
1956
Director
7.0
When Sports Were King
1954
Director
Fifty Years Before Your Eyes
9.0
Fifty Years Before Your Eyes
1950
Director
7.0
Magic Movie Moments
1953
Director
Cavalcade of Girls
Cavalcade of Girls
1950
Director
Roaring Wheels
1948
Director